It’s that time again – I’ve been sick this week, but that has actually given me more time to read other people’s blogs!

Pete at Bible Money Matter writes about how important an emergency fund is for handling those unplanned expenses – Murphy’s Law says there will be more than one show up at once!

Crystal and her husband are building a new house, which can be an expensive proposition. In order to save money for some of the extra costs, they are trying to trim their food budget. Discretionary spending (including food) is the best place to start cutting when you’re trying to save money.

Jana at Daily Money Shot is planning a No Spend May – she’s noticed she been spending too much on little indulgences, so she’s cutting back. I’ve never really tried this (other than the March Grocery Challenge, which failed), but perhaps in June after we return from our vacation…

Over at Bog of Debt, this post really resonated with me, and not just because I’m a runner. Are we giving it our all? Or are we fooling ourselves? Now, I know this much – Bruce & I cannot sustain “gazelle intensity”. It just doesn’t happen. But we are self-indulgent too. We need to find balance to that! And no… we are not giving it our all right now.

Marissa at Thirty Six Months wrote a great post about quality vs. price – the fact is, some things are worth paying more for! I agree so much with this – I have bought at least 6 pairs of cheap black pumps, and donated them all because they hurt my feet. The amount I spent could have bought me 1-2 good pairs that would have worked for me… so what did I save by doing this? Nothing!

At Life and My Finances, Corey from 20sFinances writes a guest post about Delayed Gratification (even citing the marshmallow experiment!). Tis is something Bruce & I struggle with – we’ll do well for a while, then crash & burn. Or we’ll buy used furniture… and a new car. Still working on this one!

I’m not laughing, Andrea, I promise! I grew up being taught how to cook, which means I never had to figure it out later, I experiment frequently in the kitchen, and saving money by cooking at home was nothing new for me. But Andrea doesn’t cook, and this week, with help from her blog readers… she bought real food, and cooked! And I think that’s awesome.

There were several other good articles out there this week, but I’m all fuzzy from a head cold, so I’m going to quit while I’m ahead. Hope you enjoyed the links.